Get More Leads and Higher Turnover Rates Using 3D Virtual Tours of Homes

The real estate industry has always relied on visuals to promote their properties for sale. Today, while many sellers and agents still use still images and 2D videos, the advancement of 3D technology has paved the way for a better virtual tour experience for those looking to buy a property. This improved buyer experience, in turn, can help sellers and agents increase sales. 

What Are 3D Virtual Tours?

The most popular 3D virtual tours use infrared scanning technology to collect accurate visual and spatial data. Once scanned, the company uploads the scans into the cloud. Algorithms process the data into an online walk-through that potential buyers can access from any place in the world. The agent relies on immersive browser tools to distribute the virtual tour accordingly. Every interested buyer has access to a step-by-step tour on demand.

The advantages of 3D virtual technology go much further than saving agents time and money. They also improve the buyer experience for their clients. Here are some ways 3D virtual tours of real estate accomplish this:

• They give a 360-degree view of any room or setting. As such, viewers get a more realistic view of the property even if they’re on the other side of the world. 
• Virtual tours keep clients engaged longer than other image types. Combining the tour with images, audio, or textual content adds to their interactive experience and keeps them focused until the end of the tour. The longer they spend on the agent’s website, the more likely they are to visit the property in person. 
• The agent chooses which views of the house to showcase on the video. This allows them to select the best features and emphasise their staging efforts. There isn’t a risk of having one undesirable feature pull viewers away from those that help to sell the house. The agent chooses beautiful images they know will engage viewers before placing them in the video.
• They give viewers the feeling of homeownership that makes them want to buy a home.
• Virtual tours are available to clients 24/7. That means they can view properties on their own schedule. There’s no more meeting clients at odd hours to show them a home that they don’t end up buying. That not only results in better use of time, but also greater security for the agent.

Using 3D virtual tours of real estate also gives buyers several advantages. Here are some of them: 

• 3D virtual tours of homes make it easy for buyers to look at more homes without spending as much time doing walk-throughs.
• Buyers can take their time examining the features of a property that are important to them. 
• It opens the market to overseas buyers new to the area. Nothing is more difficult than buying a new home in a new city. A 3D virtual tour brings a replica of the property to them. And, clients are more likely to buy their new home with confidence when they get a realistic view of all its features. 
• Looking at real estate is often challenging to the buyer. The more properties they look at, the more confused they get about which location has what feature. 3D virtual tours let them see which features stand out for their beauty or architectural appeal. It’s easier to create a shortlist of homes that they want to see in person by eliminating those that fall short of their expectations. 
• The interactive technology lets the client decide how they want to view the property. The user can measure key points to determine whether their belongings will fit. They can look at the overall floor plan of the entire house or of a single room. It’s all in their control. 

The Virtual Experience

Advanced 3D technology delivers a different level of experience for the viewer than 2D. A 2D video is like watching TV; the viewer can only see one angle at a time. Whatever the cameraman filmed is what the viewer can watch. 

In contrast, 3D has more depth and gives the viewer a more realistic experience. It lets them zoom in on the ceiling, the floor, or any other specific feature they want to see. While 2D photos and videos still have a place in marketing real estate, 3D walk-throughs are the only way to place people directly in a house without their actually being there. 

Why 3D Virtual Tours Are So Important to Realtors in 2020

Home values increased in Australia by 0.9 per cent in January, taking the annual growth rate to 4.1 per cent. This marks the highest pace of growth rate for a 12-month period in three years, and experts say it’s expected to keep rising. With fewer houses to choose from and higher profits from sales, the competition among sellers will grow proportionally as well.

To increase profits, real estate agents must find ways to cut costs and save time. Offering potential buyers the option to view the properties through 3D virtual tours first is a cost-efficient way to cut down on physical walk-throughs of a property.

Although 3D virtual tours are available to realtors, they rarely, if ever, take advantage of this technology. Some believe they can achieve the same thing by using 2D videos or still images. It’s no longer adequate to provide simple videos and photographs to show properties to potential buyers. 3D virtual tours give viewers the personal engagement that an increasing number of consumers are growing accustomed to.

Who Is Already Using 3D Technology?

Some top-level realtors have already learned how valuable 3D virtual tours are as marketing tools. Currently, the majority of those who take advantage of this technology limit their use to showcasing high-end properties. In reality, however, many realtors have multiple low-end listings that are even more difficult to sell. Increasing the number of clients who view these properties greatly increases their overall sales percentages. At the same time, it helps them secure more clients and boost their overall business.

Technology is one of the most modern ways that agents can differentiate themselves from the competition. There are limited ways to accomplish this with the large percentage of customers shopping online. One way that has proven effective is with the use of 3D virtual tours.

Real estate agents can embed 3D virtual tools on any page of their website where visitors can instantly engage with the property listings. They can also have the virtual tour posted on a Single Property Website with all their contact and business information listed. This page is useful for email campaigns or communications between the company and its clients. 

Any successful real estate agent knows the value of social media for listing and selling properties today. Posting 3D virtual tours on social media allows potential buyers and realtors to share listings with their connections. 

At a time when agents are looking for simple ways to cut costs and increase efficiency, 3D video technology is a valuable tool that works at every level. It is just as cost-efficient to create custom videos for low-end and high-end properties for agents with only a few listings, or real estate companies with a large and evolving portfolio. It implements the technology that today’s consumer is accustomed to for so many things. Sellers save time and money while giving clients the best possible information they need to decide quickly. The end result is happier clients and a bigger sales rate for the agent.